Loss of livestock hits livelihoods

Thousands of families in northern Vietnam have been pushed deeper into poverty after losing cattle in a record-breaking cold spell. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 136,000 cattle died as temperatures fell as low as minus 10 Celsius.

Officials say the loss of livestock means poor farmers are going to be dragged deeper into debt. Unless there are dramatic intervention efforts they warn that some households will go hungry.

"People in our commune are all poor,” said Nguyen Duy Nghi, acting chairman of Huong Khe District People’s Committee in Ha Tinh Province. “Families that lost one or two cows or buffalos face a terrible plight. These animals were their main asset. They don’t know what to do now.”

Most of the cattle that died succumbed to prolonged exposure, officials said. But in areas hit by heavy flooding, which submerged agricultural lands and destroyed crops, some starved to death. Despite government warnings to stockpile fodder as the cold worsened, few families could afford to purchase extra food.

Families that lost one or two cows or buffalos face a terrible plight. These animals were their main asset. They don’t know what to do now.

“Our farmers [who could afford feed] had to travel 70km to buy dry rice straw to feed their cows,” said Nghi. “Blankets were used to keep them warm. Stalls are covered carefully at night. They took all necessary steps to maintain the herds but cattle still died in large numbers.”

Government aid package

As the cold began to dissipate, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung announced a US$9.3 million aid package. Farmers will be paid one million dong (about $60) for each cow or buffalo that died. The government also agreed to ask banks to reschedule or forgive the debts of those who lost their cattle.

However, Nghi said the compensation package was insufficient. “It will cost them up to nine million dong [$540] to buy a cow or buffalo and four million [$240] for a calf,” he said. “Where and when can they get or save such a large amount of money? Many households will fall deeper into poverty.”

In addition, farmers, unaware the cold would grip the region for so long, sowed and transplanted their winter-spring rice seedlings on schedule. Because of the crippling temperatures, the agriculture ministry estimates that 104,000 hectares or 40 percent of the new crop planted in the northern provinces was destroyed.

Duong Tri Thuc, chief administrator of the farmers’ association in Ha Tinh, worries that even the recent arrival of warm weather is not going to help people in his province.

Many farmers have resorted to abandoning their land because even if they plant a crop, they would harvest nothing in the end. The poor are just going to get poorer.

“Right now they are working hard to sow rice seeds, hoping that it will be on time for this season,” says Thuc. “In some parts of our province where farmers cannot grow rice, they are planting peanuts.” But, he said, it is considered late to grow peanuts for this season due to the upcoming west winds blowing from Laos that damage the crops.

“Many farmers have resorted to abandoning their land because even if they plant a crop, they would harvest nothing in the end,” says Thuc. “The poor are just going to get poorer.”

Poverty high in mountain areas

Although Vietnam’s economy has grown about 8 percent per year for the past decade, parts of the country remain untouched by the rapid economic transformation. Poverty levels remain high in the mountainous regions where land quality is generally poor and plots are small. These areas are also populated by Vietnam’s “hill tribes”, or ethnic minorities, who live on less than $1 a day.

Prime Minister Dung has asked the government to revise the number of poor households in each province to reflect the crisis. Provinces where more than 50 percent of people are living in poverty will be targeted with economic development programmes, the prime minister has said.

mao/bj/mw